This invention relates to a female or socket contact which is used as an element connecting a wire harness or the like for a vehicle.
FIG. 5 shows a conventional female or socket contact a which is constituted by a female electrical contact portion b and a wire connecting portion c. The female electrical contact portion b is formed with a general tubular body b.sub.1, in which two arch-shaped elastic contact portions b: are providing a slit b.sub.2 therein so as to split a front portion of the tubular body b.sub.1 into two pieces. A receiving chamber b.sub.4 for receiving a male contact (terminal pin) d as shown in FIG. 6(a) is formed between arch-shaped ends b.sub.1, of the arch-shaped contact portions.
As shown in FIG. 6(a), two pieces of the arch-shaped contact portions b.sub.2 in the conventional socket contact are disposed opposite each other such that the male contact d comes into contact with both peripheral ends b.sub.5, b.sub.5 of the arch-shaped end b.sub.3 ', The male contact d is clamped by four pieces of the peripheral ends b.sub.5 of the arch-shaped end b.sub.1 ', so that it is possible to support the male contact d stably at a connecting position. On the other hand, a contacting force applied at a piece of the arch-shaped elastic contact portion b.sub.3 is divided in half because of transmission of the contacting force through two pieces of the peripheral ends b.sub.5, causing a problem in that it becomes impossible to obtain a strong contact pressure
In addition, as shown in FIG. 6(b), a conventional socket contact is constructed so that peripheral center portions b.sub.6, b.sub.6 of the arch-shaped ends b.sub.3 ", come into contact with the male contact d. As a result, a contacting force at a piece of the arch-shaped elastic contact portion b.sub.3 is concentrated at the peripheral center portions b.sub.6, so that it is possible to obtain a strong contact pressure. On the other hand, this structure also causes a problem in that it becomes impossible to support the male contact d stably at a connecting position.